Armenian Genocide mentioned
CU wants to forbid denial of genocide

By one of our editors

NRC Handelsblad (Dutch national newspaper)
The Hague, April 24, 2007

The fraction of the ChristenUnie [Christian Union] wants to submit a
draft bill that forbids the offensive denial of genocide. Member of
Parliament Voordewind (CU) announced today.

The CU chose to do so today because the Armenian Genocide of 1915
is commemorated.

Already last year, the party submitted a draft bill to criminalize the
denial of genocide. Previously, the ChristenUnie had also submitted a
motion in which the Armenian Genocide was mentioned explicitly. The
motion is sensitive, because the massacre of hundreds of thousands
of Armenians in 1915 has never been recognized by Turkey. Last year,
a great discussion erupted especially in the CDA [Christian Democratic
Appeal] and the PvdA [Dutch Labor Party]. Turkish candidate MPs were
scrapped by their respective party administrations from the candidacy
list because they refused to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Earlier, PvdA leader Bos announced that he will not support the
draft bill, even though his fraction supported the motion of former
MP Rouvoet (ChristenUnie).

The Council of State has great objections against the draft bill,
or so it became apparent from the advice that the Council gave to
the ChristenUnie.

The Council feels that it is not clear enough what the additional
value of the proposal is in regard to Article 137c of the penal
code, which stipulates that offending peoples is punishable. Deniers
of the Holocaust have already been convicted on the basis of that
article. The Council would also like to know how the definition of
genocide is established.

The ChristenUnie has a special bond with the Christian community
in Armenia.

MP Wolfsen (PvdA) believes that it is partly because of this
relationship that the party announced today its willingness to pursue
with the new law.

The PvdA has great reserves against the proposal. Wolfsen: "It is
not clear what the additional value of this proposal is. The act of
offending peoples is already criminalized now. This proposal also
touches on freedom of speech."

The CDA awaits the definitive proposal, but MP Haersma Buma says:
"The proposal is an expanded version of Donner’s draft bill, who
wants to prohibit the glorification of terrorist attacks. It is
precisely this element that is not longer present in the proposal of
the ChristenUnie."

Last Thursday, in Luxemburg, a European decision was adopted that
criminalizes racism and xenophobia in all member states.

In the Netherlands, the law does not need to be adapted to the
decision, because such cases are already criminalized, according to
a spokesperson of the Ministry of Justice.

Meanwhile, in six other European member states, including Belgium,
France, and Germany, a national law has been adopted that specifically
criminalizes the denial of genocide.